According to the prior art (see FIGS. 1 and 2), for example, air/solvent mixtures have to be delivered for thermal postcombustion (TPC), so as not to cause any harmful substances to enter the environment. For reasons of prescribed safety, for example, air/solvent mixtures, such as leave the user process, must be diluted with air to an extent such that no ignitable mixture occurs. This depleted air is delivered for thermal postcombustion. Sometimes, for this purpose, the mixture air is preheated by means of the waste heat from the subsequent combustion process, before it reaches the combustion chamber for thermal postcombustion.
The air/solvent mixture, preheated or not, enters the combustion chamber, and this is usually fired with fuel, for example fuel gas or electric energy. Catalytic postcombustions may also be envisaged.
If a fuel cell (FC) is used instead of thermal postcombustion, the air/solvent mixture can also be burnt, for example, in order to maintain the operating temperature. The electric current is generated via a separate circuit of fuel gas or combustible materials.
The concepts according to the prior art require fuel gas in order to burn combustible materials.